Sneak Preview of New Book Covers for Upcoming Books

A Facebook friend, Kendra R. LaLonde, loves making book covers and has made enough to keep me busy all summer for my Dead Lake Mystery Series. This summer series will be set in the small town of Wewahitchka, Florida, and on a real lake there, Dead Lake. Cypress trees with trunks like huge bowls adorn the scenic route along the shores of the lake. Locals say fishing is good, and you'll find crappie, blue gills, shell crackers, large mouth bass, white bass among other types of fish. It's fresh-water fishing, and you can use worms or shiners. Dead Lake is a 6,700 acre lake off the Chipola River near the town of Wewahitchka. A local bait shop close by also sells swings, wooden recliners, and tables. If you enjoy relaxing fishing with beautiful scenery and like to catch various types of fish, you might want to try fishing on Dead Lake. That is, if you're up for it. Notice the cover of one of the books. The boat is empty. What happened to the fishermen? How did Dead Lake get its name? Find out in this series of novels by author B. J. Robinson. The first book in the series will release this summer. Kendra is great at making covers, loves it. She good and she's fast. If you need a cover, talk to her. She's on Facebook. I love the ones she's made for me. Browse down and take a look. Any cover with a Dead Lake title is one she made for me. The first in the series is coming this summer. Watch for them. Thanks so much for the wonderful covers, Kendra. You're a sweet blessing.

The second book in my Storms of Life series will also be out this summer, Serenity through the Storm. The first novel in the series, Calm Before the Storm, is available through Amazon for only $2.99. Readers say they can't put it down, and I packed a lot into it. Check it out.

Contest to Win New Release

New Release only $2.99. First in a series of three Storms of Life Series.
Vera Minette lost too many loved ones in her life, and she wanted answers. Was it God's timing, someone playing God, or hospital error? This 18 chapter novel... explores these questions when Vera returns to a small town she fled during the threat of a hurricane because her sister is ill and hospitalized. Jesus is our refuge through the storms of life, and Vera, her loved ones, and friends go through many in this inspirational romantic suspense. If you're a fan of humor, romance, suspense, mystery, or inspirational novels, enjoy this one for only $2.99.

Vera Minette Brady left Louisiana six short years ago and never looked back. There were times she missed Lake Pontchartrain, but not enough to return after her high school sweetheart ripped her heart asunder. She hadn't counted on a hurricane and her sister's illness to lure her back. She hated hospitals and wondered why a feeling of déjà vu iced through her veins and overpowered her each time she entered one. The truth was she knew why. She just didn't want to think about it.

Douglass Stevens, the owner of a construction company, discovered something more important he'd love to construct besides buildings. He wanted to rebuild the relationship he once had with Vera. Why did it seem something always got in the way? When Vera returned to see her sister, he planted himself at the hospital to support her, determined not to let her get away again.

Together, their path is littered with obstacles, and they have to decide if it's God's will, hospital error, or someone playing God as they helplessly watch loved ones die. Will Douglass be strong enough to provide the support Vera needs through this storm in her life? Can their love weather the storms that rage against them both? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJWSF5A

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJWSF5A

For an opportunity to win a copy of this beautiful new release, sign to follow the blog. You may also win other books or ebooks.

Calm Before the Storm only $2.99 by B. J. Robinson

Vera Minette Bradley lost too many loved ones in her life, and she wanted answers. Was it God's timing, someone playing God, or hospital error? This 18 chapter novel explores these questions when Vera returns to a small town she fled during the threat of a hurricane because her sister is ill and hospitalized. Jesus is our refuge through the storms of life, and Vera, her loved ones, and friends go through many in this inspirational romantic suspense. If you're a fan of humor, romance, suspense, mystery, or inspirational novels, enjoy this one for only $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJWSF5A

The Next Big Thing Blog Post

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:


I was nominated by Rita Garcia for The Next Big Thing Blog Post.

Today it’s my turn to talk about my upcoming book Calm Before the Storm. At the end of the post, I’ll nominate another writer who will post their own answers about their book next week.

What is the working title of your book?

Calm Before the Storm

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The storm of illness that hits and destroys so many families. I lost my youngest sister to an eating disorder.

What genre does your book fall under? Christian inspirational romantic suspense.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Roma Downey and Kirk Cameron

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Vera Minette Bradley was the first woman to fight off the pain medication and the only one to leave the hospital alive.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Self-published or published by a publisher, but at this point, probably self-published.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? It is still in the works, but I expect to complete it this spring.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I don't know of any in my genre, but I do know there are many books published on the topic of eating disorders. However, my novel is not focused on eating disorder, though it is one topic.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? The loss of my mother and sister six years apart.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Vera tried to fight off the shot as the nurse thrust the needle at her hip. She'd fought them in the ambulance, too, but there were too many of them, too many arms holding her down. She tried to tell the nurse she'd had a pain shot en route to the hospital, but to no avail. She felt the sharp prick of the needle and prayed before she went under.

Three years later, Myrtle tried desperately to open her eyes. She wanted to awaken one more time to see her youngest daughter's big brown eyes. She had to say goodbye.

Six years later, Bridgett made her last telephone call.

Eight years later, Glory went into a deep sleep and never woke.

What did all these women have in common? They'd all had pain medication at the same hospital. Was someone playing God, or was it truly their time to go? The story of five women. Only one leaves the hospital alive.

My published novels include Last Resort, Southern Superstitions, Whispering Cypress, and One Rainy Summer. They are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Sony, and Christianbooks.com. You may check out all my available titles on Kindle at this link http://www.amazon.com/BJ-Robinson/e/B007DNJIKU

Naomi Musch is nominated to discuss her upcoming book next week. Stay tuned.

 

 

A Ragdoll Christmas

I'm thrilled to be a part of the fabulous showcase of twenty-five talented authors for the Grace-Filled Christmas Blog Tour. I want to wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my readers, Facebook friends, and family. As we remember the reason for the season, may God bless you and yours with a heart-warming, safe holiday season. Jesus is the reason for all seasons.

A Ragdoll Christmas and Other Short Stories hold precious Christmas memories, though all are not so happy. "The Little Pink Washing Machine" brings back days of happily walking to town with my father, and I treasure those precious memories. It is an excerpt from a work-in-progress, and "Growing up on Fairytales," is a prequel to that same work. Once completed, you'll find other Christmas stories included as well as stories of growing up in a small town. The book itself is not a book of only Christmas stories, but a book young adults will enjoy that tells the story of a gutsy girl who lost her father at four years old on Christmas Day in Southern small-town America. Autobiographical, nonfiction Christmas stories.

 

As we celebrate Christmas this year, let's remember the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus, and understand that while some are happy and celebrating, others may be going through a Ragdoll Christmas. I've had my share, but I'm thankful to God for the precious memories and the lessons learned about life through all the joy, heartache, pain, and sadness. God has His plans, and good comes shining through even in dark situations, though we may not always see it as we're in the midst of the storm. Sometimes, it may be years later, after the storm clouds have dissolved, before we realize our rainbow of blessings.

No, I'm not having a fancy fiber-optic Christmas this year. You'll understand when you read the story about that one. I'm having a simple Christmas at home. I pray all of my readers have a blessed Christmas season with many rainbow blessings to come and that you enjoy my writing. Thank you for taking a chance on it and supporting my work as an author. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A Cozy Fireside Christmas

A Cozy Fireside Christmas

 

I remember a cozy Christmas spent in a Holden cabin in the woods with a roaring fire, hot chocolate, and a rocking chair by the fireside. A cedar tree decorated the picture window. The lights on the tree flickered and glowed with the flickering firelight. Christmas music filled the air, and I listened in peaceful solitude as I rocked by the fire.

My son Rodney was about twelve and those were the days, the days of enjoying my son and shopping for his Christmas gifts. We lived in the woodlands of Holden, Louisiana, and he wanted a tent for Christmas that year. He got his tent among other gifts. Reflecting back, I can still see him camped out on the hillside behind our cabin in the woods, the cabin I used to call my Walden. For, I always said, if a man could have his own cabin in the woods, his own Walden, why couldn’t a woman? As Henry David Thoreau had his Walden, I, too, had mine.

Christmas was kept simple, but simple was good enough for us. Enjoying the simple things in life can bring the greatest pleasures. Life is about learning how to enjoy the simple things and taking advantage of them. When I look back on days gone by, sometimes I wish I could go back to the past instead of back to the future for just one day and relive some of those days. I would know to enjoy them while I had them the second time around, wouldn’t I?

Now, Christmas decorations are no longer so simple. We no longer go into the woods and chop down a cedar tree. This year, I have the newest style going, a fiber optic Christmas tree. A simple star no longer adorns the top. A fiber optic angel has taken the place of the star. My son is now grown and gone with kids of his own. They live in another state, so I don’t get to see them for Christmas. My yard is the best decorated it has ever been, but my baby boy is not here to share it.

Simple is better. A fancy decorated yard is empty without children to share it. If I could trade it all for the simple times, I would do it in a blink. Appreciate the simple things in life, because they are the best, the things that money can’t buy, the things that you can’t get back once they are gone.

Some of the best years of my life were when my son was about twelve, but I didn’t know it then. Why are we always in such a hurry for everything? I spent my days in a hurry to obtain my education, in a hurry to do everything. In life’s hustle and bustle, in my haste, I forgot to take the time to enjoy the simple things while I had them. I was in such a hurry to live life that I really didn’t live life. I let life live me.

Don’t let life live you, or it will pass you by. Live life and enjoy it to its fullest. Enjoy each day and take each day one day at a time, being thankful for the day you have.

While I will never be able to go back and see my twelve year old son camped in a tent on the hillside, perhaps I will see my grandsons’ faces lighted with joy as they someday receive a tent from grandma for Christmas. Perhaps, it is meant for grandparents to get to relive the days of rearing their children through their grandchildren, a chance to do better and appreciate it more the second time around.

Now, there is one thing that could still make this fancy fiber-optic Christmas special, if only my grandchildren could see my fancy decorated yard. Somehow sharing it with them from another state, with only pictures, is just not the same as being able to see shining eyes and glowing faces. Though my youngest son is now a grown man, being able to share it with him would make it special again. Decorations and presents don’t make Christmas special. People do.

Christmas today is a yard of blow-ups: Santa, Snowman, Grinch, Reindeer, Santa and Reindeer, but no real live children and grandchildren to share it. Somehow, blow-ups are just not as warm and welcoming as warm hugs from loving family. Yes, I’d trade all this fancy fiber-optic, blow-up Christmas for a simple, traditional family-filled Christmas in a flying reindeer, if I could. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I say, a thousand words coming from family and friends are worth a thousand pictures.

So, as I try my best to be positive and enjoy my blow-up, fiber-optic Christmas, empty of family, those of you who have your children and grandchildren with you, just know you have the best Christmas of all. You don’t need fancy decorations. You need the gifts that money can’t buy! Those are the best gifts in the world!

I won’t be rocking by the fireside with a cozy fireside Christmas this year. I won’t have a twelve year old son to watch, as he rips open a tent with shining eyes and a glowing face. Instead, I will have Florida sunshine in the Sunshine state and a fancy blow-up, fiber-optic Christmas, but make no mistake, as I enjoy my fancy fiber-optic Christmas, I am thankful, and I do appreciate it, thankful for all those simple, traditional family memories that time and fancy decorations can’t replace. I am thankful that I can still enjoy Christmas and the holiday season and sending my loved ones, who live in another state, Christmas cards.

Enjoy your times together while you have them and enjoy the simple pleasures life has to offer; for, they are the most precious and valuable gifts on this earth, and they are true gifts from God.

Interview about Sunrise on Alligator Lake

We are blog hopping our way through some new reads. For those who aren’t familiar with a blog hop, it's like a treasure hunt to find new authors and books. Once you find something on one blog you hop on over to the next one to discover more treasure, a wealth of new and exciting books. Some are still being written, some are just being released. Either way, for fiction lovers, it’s a treasure. I’d like to thank  Brenda K. Hendricks for tagging me to participate.

In this particular hop I answer 10 questions, and you get to learn about my current WIP (work in progress), my new Christmas book of short stories, Ragdoll Christmas and other Short Stories, which releases Wednesday, December 5.

I am tagging the following five authors to continue the blog hop: Naomi Musch, Rita Garcia, Regina Andrews, Nike Chillemi, and June Foster.

What is the working title of your book? Sunrise on Alligator Lake

Where did the idea come from for the book? My husband and I go fishing on the lake which has gorgeous sunrises, and I was inspired to write a romance novel using it as the setting.

What genre does your book fall under?
Southern Christian Inspirational Romance

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

John Dye with Roma Downey or Meg Ryan with Tom Hanks.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? A divorced woman escapes an abusive husband to live a life of peace and contentment in a trailer park on Alligator Lake and learns to enjoy the sunrises in her life until her world spirals out of control when she comes face-to-face with her past.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I have books published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. out of California, but this one is going to be a novella, and I plan to self-publish it.

 

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? It's still in the works, but I plan to finish it within a four to six month time span since it's a novella. Ragdoll Christmas will be released Wednesday and available at Amazon for the Kindle.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Eva Marie Everson has a Cedar Key Series, and the first novel, Chasing Sunsets, is about a divorced woman who seeks a new beginning. My debut novel, Last Resort, is about a woman who escapes an abusive boyfriend.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? Domestic abuse rears its ugly head far too much in society. I have been inspired to write a story of how God uses bad for good, one to show victims they can have a new, fresh beginning just like a fresh new sunrise on Alligator Lake. God and the sunrise on Alligator Lake inspired me to write this novella because of the glorious view that seemed fresh, like a renewal, or new beginning.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? It's set on a real lake in St. Cloud, Florida, and I have pictures to post on a blog taken on the lake. The heroine has been through the wringer and come out on the other side to rainbow blessings.

 

 

The Haunting of Alligator Lake by B. J. Robinson

Just published and only 99 cents for a short story set in St. Cloud, Florida, on a real lake. Visit a quaint diner and enjoy another alligator tale by B. J. Robinson. Are all those white alligator tales and ghostly mermaid stories true? Find out in a few seconds with instant delivery.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A9U9JEE